Sinographies: Semiotics of the Sinophone

Abstract

<p>The Sinograph refers to the abstract collective of Sinitic characters in written Chinese which, at different points in time, also figure in the scripts of other cultures in the Sinosphere region. This programmatic article advances the theoretical grounds for studying the performative potentialities of the Sinograph in conjunction with the contemporary Sinophone. Starting with examples of esoteric writing, the article establishes the Sinograph as a fetish object that speaks to a paradox of representation and politics of recognition. It then sets out the rationale for understanding myriad formations of the Sinograph through the conceptual lens of language “spectacles” and in the context of Sinophone studies, arguing that orthographic experiments in Sinophone cultural productions constitute a window on the social semiotics of global Chinese. The article concludes by proposing a research programme designed around the confluence of the Sinograph and the Sinophone, citing empirical cases from Sinitic practices in East Asia to illustrate the feasibility of this area of inquiry.</p>